A Common Maturation Pathway for Small Nucleolar Rnas
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The EMBO Journal vol.14 no.19 pp.4860-4871, 1995 A common maturation pathway for small nucleolar RNAs Michael P.Terns1 2, Christian Grimm, mRNA (Birmstiel and Schaufele, 1988). Most nucleo- Elsebet Lund and James E.Dahlberg plasmic snRNAs are made by RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) and contain a sequence element known as the Sm site Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, 1300 University Avenue, to which the group of Sm proteins bind. After binding of University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA the Sm proteins to these RNAs their 5' m7G caps undergo 'Present address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, hypermethylation to trimethylguanosine 5' cap structures. Life Sciences Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602- The spliceosomal U6 RNA, which is made by RNAP III 7229, USA does not have an m7G cap nor an Sm protein binding site. 2Corresponding author snoRNAs are synthesized by RNAP II (i.e. U3, U8 and U13) or RNAP III (i.e. 7-2/MRP and plant U3) and some We have shown that precursors of U3, U8 and U14 are processed from the intronic sequences of mRNAs (i.e. small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are not exported to U14-U22). Specific steps of pre-rRNA processing require the cytoplasm after injection into Xenopus oocyte nuclei particular snoRNAs such as U3, U8, U14, 7-2/MRP and but are selectively retained and matured in the nucleus, U22 RNAs (Tyc and Steitz, 1989; Kass et al., 1990; Li where they function in pre-rRNA processing. Our et al., 1990; Savino and Gerbi, 1990; Hughes and Ares, results demonstrate that Box D, a conserved sequence 1991; Peculis and Steitz, 1993, 1994; Morrissey and element found in these and most other snoRNAs, Tollervey, 1995). Most nucleolar RNAs contain common plays a key role in their nuclear retention, 5' cap sequence elements (Boxes C', C and D) and are associated hypermethylation and stability. Retention of U3 and with the conserved 34-36 kDa nucleolar protein fibrillarin U8 RNAs in the nucleus is saturable and relies on one (Caizergues-Ferrer et al., 1991; Tollervey et al., 1991). or more common factors. Hypermethylation of the 5' Mature snoRNAs contain either a trimethylguanosine 5' caps of U3 RNA occurs efficiently in oocyte nuclear cap structure (Tyc and Steitz, 1989) or a triphosphate 5' extracts lacking nucleoli, suggesting that precursor end (Kiss et al., 1991; Yuan and Reddy, 1991) depending snoRNAs are matured in the nucleoplasm before they on whether they are RNAP II or III gene products, are localized to the nucleolus. Surprisingly, m7G- respectively, but those that are processed from mRNA capped precursors of spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs introns contain monophosphate 5' ends (Kiss and (snRNAs) such as pre-Ul and U2, can be hypermethyl- Filipowicz, 1993; Tycowski et al., 1993). ated in nuclei if the RNAs are complexed with Sm snRNAs must undergo maturation in order to become proteins. This raises the possibility that a single nuclear functional. The nucleoplasmic snRNAs bind the common hypermethylase activity may act on both nucleolar and Sm proteins and undergo hypermethylation of their m7G spliceosomal snRNPs. cap structures after being exported to the cytoplasm Keywords: nucleolar snoRNA/nucleus/snRNA/transport/ (Mattaj, 1986). Recent evidence indicates that export of Xenopus oocyte nucleoplasmic pre-snRNAs to the cytoplasm is facilitated by interactions of specific nuclear factors with the m7G cap and sequence domains within the body of these RNAs (Izaurralde et al., 1992; Terns et al., 1993a,b; Jarmolowski Introduction et al., 1994). Likewise, import of mature snRNAs back Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), together with their into the nucleus is promoted by the bound Sm proteins associated proteins, are required to process precursors of and the trimethylguanosine 5' cap structures (Fischer and other cellular RNAs into mature RNA species (for review, Luhrmann, 1990; Hamm et al., 1990; Fischer et al., 1993). see Baserga and Steitz, 1993). The many different snRNAs The maturation pathways used by snoRNAs have not can be generally divided into two classes based on the been extensively studied. Despite the similarities between intranuclear location of their function. Nucleoplasmic U3 RNA and nucleoplasmic snRNAs (both are synthesized snRNAs function in pre-mRNA processing in the nucleo- in the nucleus by RNAP II with an m7G cap that later plasm (reviewed in Luhrmann et al., 1990; Green, 1991), gets hypermethylated), the maturation pathways used by whereas nucleolar snRNAs (snoRNAs) function in pre- U3 RNA and nucleoplasmic snRNAs differ significantly. rRNA processing (or ribosome biogenesis) in the nucleolus Recently, we showed that U3 RNA is not exported to the (reviewed in Filipowicz and Kiss, 1993; Fournier and cytoplasm but acquires its trimethylguanosine cap structure Maxwell, 1993; Maxwell and Foumier, 1995) in the nucleus (Tems and Dahlberg, 1994). The nucleoplasmic snRNAs include the spliceosomal In this study we show that in addition to U3 snRNA, snRNAs (i.e. Ul, U2, U4, U5 and U6 RNAs) which are other snoRNAs including U8 and U14 RNAs are matured required for intron removal from pre-mRNAs (Guthrie solely within the nucleus. We also demonstrate that Box and Patterson, 1988; Luhrmann et al., 1990) and U7 RNA D, a six nucleotide sequence element present near the 3' which is necessary for 3' end formation of histone pre- terminus of most snoRNAs (Filipowicz and Kiss, 1993; 486040 Oxford University Press Maturation of small nucleolar RNAs A T- tz > B h :---m immunoprecipitation of nuclear RNAs with antibodies N ,\ (- C- (- 1) s p s specific to the monomethyl (m7G) and trimethyl (m2'2'7G) guanosine cap structures (present on precursor and mature t-3_I snRNAs, respectively). Thus, m7G-capped precursors of tU3 ___l_ * snoRNAs such as U3 and U8 are not exported to the _2ot....ei cytoplasm but are matured solely within the nucleus. UJ2l.__. .mw1 Moreover, these RNAs were both associated with fibrillarin protein following their injection into nuclei (data not shown; Peculis and Steitz, 1994). _w. __ L'I w__ C".l_R1 ..... Structural elements needed for nuclear retention _ of snoRNAs _ To determine if the nuclear retention of U3 and U8 RNAs U8 _ _ U8X_...................8. was saturable, we assayed the nucleocytoplasmic distribu- tion of the RNAs when they were present in nuclei in high amounts. Injection of 0.1 ng of U3 DNA template resulted in accumulation ofU3 RNA only in the nucleus (Figure 2A, Fig. 1. Nuclear retention and hypermethylation of snoRNAs. lanes 1 and 2). However, injection of 10 times that amount (A) Nucleocytoplasmic distribution of U3, U2, Ul and U8 RNAs following their injection into oocyte nuclei. 32P-labeled m7G-capped of DNA, to elevate the level of U3 RNA produced, resulted U3, U2, Ul and U8 RNAs were synthesized in vitro and the RNA in the accumulation of significant amounts of U3 RNA in mixture was injected into nuclei of Xenopus oocytes. After 2 and 6 h the cytoplasm (lanes 3 and 4). Moreover, the percentage of of incubation at 18°C, the labeled RNAs present in the nuclear (N) U3 RNA that was trimethylguanosine-capped decreased and cytoplasmic (C) fractions of the oocytes were isolated and from >90% (Tems and Dahlberg, 1994) to -50% (Figure analyzed by electrophoresis in a denaturing polyacrylamide gel. Lane 1 (M) shows the RNAs prior to injection. (B) Identification of the 5' 2B, lanes 1-4) when high amounts of U3 DNA were cap structure (either m7G or m2.2'7G) by immunoprecipitation. injected. These results indicate that oocytes have a limited Precipitation was carried out with nuclear RNAs shown in lane 4 of capacity for both retaining and hypermethylating U3 (A), using anti-m7G (Munns et al., 1982) or anti-m 2'27G (Bringmann snoRNA in the nucleus. et al., 1983) cap antibodies as indicated. The RNAs present in the It is that the appearance of U3 RNA in the total sample (T), precipitate (P) and supematant (S) fractions were unlikely separated by gel electrophoresis as in (A). cytoplasm was the result of non-specific RNA leakage during oocyte fractionation since co-expressed U6 RNA (an RNA which also does not exit the nucleus) remained Foumier and Maxwell, 1993; Maxwell and Fournier, exclusively within the nucleus (Figure 2A, lanes 3 and 1995), is necessary for the efficient nuclear hypermethyl- 4). Furthermore, as shown in lanes 4 and 6, the appearance ation of these RNAs both in vivo and in vitro. The retention of U3 RNA in the cytoplasm was prevented by injection of of U3 and U8 RNAs in the nucleus is a saturable process an antibody that blocks RNA export (Terns and Dahlberg, and a common titratable factor is apparently involved in 1994; E.Lund, unpublished data) by binding to nuclear the nuclear retention of both RNAs. Box D sequences are pore glycoproteins. Essentially all of the U3 RNA that essential for the retention of U8 RNA but not U3 RNA. appeared in the cytoplasm under conditions of elevated We conclude that specific interactions between precursors U3 RNA synthesis was m7G-capped (Figure 2B, compare of snoRNAs and limiting components in the nucleus are U3 and Ul RNAs in lanes 5-8). Retention of U8 RNA responsible for retaining these RNAs in the nucleus. was also a saturable process as shown by its appearance in the cytoplasm when large amounts of the RNA were injected into nuclei (see below). Results Since both U3 and U8 RNAs are retained within the Nuclear retention and hypermethylation of capped nucleus, we tested whether they shared common saturable snoRNAs retention mechanisms. To do this we co-injected radio- To test if nuclear retention and cap hypermethylation are labeled U3 and U8 RNAs with increasing amounts of general properties of snoRNAs made by RNAP II rather these RNAs as non-radioactive competitors and monitored than specific behaviors of U3 RNA (Tems and Dahlberg, the nucleocytoplasmic distributions of radiolabeled RNAs 1994), we monitored the intracellular localization of (Figure 3A).